Holy Kitchen!

I've seen this kitchen scattered on a few different interior design blogs...and I. Am. In. Love. I mean, a library-style ladder in the kitchen? Surely I would cook "Martha worthy" meals in this space...in other words, I wouldn't "make" a bowl of cereal for dinner every night. Not that I do that or anything.

xo, Emily

(via Coco+Kelley)

Welcome to My Room...yes...this is part two...

Let me begin by apologizing for my absence over the past two months. A lot has happened between then and now, and it has taken this long for me to be ready to share my life again through this blog. First of all, my boyfriend, Colin, who I was living with in an adorable one bedroom on the Upper East side, was offered a fantastic opportunity with his company - in London. After debating this decision, he and I decided that the best move was for him to go (although I did cry a little...ok, a lot). Being that we are in love (cue the violin music), there was no question that we would remain together and do the whole "long distance relationship" thing for the time being. Naturally, I would have loved to go with him, but because it's near impossible for someone to obtain a work visa in the UK without company sponsorship, I knew that I needed to stay in NY and send my love and support to him from afar. And so....

I now live in Brooklyn (cue the Storm Trooper soundtrack). Ok, that's being a touch dramatic. Brooklyn is really not so bad, and it's actually pretty charming and definitely less chaotic than the city. And cheaper. I moved in with two lovely girls in a three bedroom apartment I discovered via craigslist, and I gained two additional roommates as well - brother and sister tuxedo cats named Awesome and Danger. Yeah, they're cool like that. I also joined the local gym and started a weekly Dinner and Documentary Night with my best friend...I will not sit around crying and depressed, no no no! In a colossal effort to look at this next year of physical separation from Colin in a positive light, I have adopted this philosophy: Just as he is doing, I too am going to better myself over this next year. I am going to get into better shape. I am going to take classes in Interior Design so that I can eventually have a job I love. I am going to get more in touch with my goals and live a life with more intention. I am going to make new friends, try new things, and get back to a place of happiness. Because to be honest, the joy and love that I have with Colin has served as a band-aid for a lot of things, and without him here, I am forced to see what needs healing in my life. Which is kind of a lot. But I have realized that life has a way of giving you not what you want, but exactly what you need. I don't want to be apart from the person that I love, but we both need this time to better our lives and ourselves. 

And so, I'm back to Bellishment, baby! - on the precipice of great and exciting (and perhaps gradual) change in my life; change that will help lead me to a place where I'm happy in the life I live. 

xo, Emily

(paint, Deep Ocean by Benjamin Moore//bedding, West Elm//desk, Crate and Barrel//dresser, Ikea//the prints of the ocean, city lights, and oranges, Ciao Chessa via etsy)

Designers A(ma) to Z(ing) - L

L

L'Wren Scott (Fall RTW 2011)

Don't you just adore this collection?? I think it's so relevant - how easy would it be to take any of these ideas and wear them in real life?? I love the colors, the shoes, the tiny details, and the feminine silhouettes!!

And now for my A(ma) to Z(ing)!

A. age - 24 and a half

B. bed size - full

C. chore you hate - scrubbing the bathtub 

D. dogs - none...I'm a cat lady!

E. essential to start your day - an alarm clock!

F. favorite color - orange

G. gold or silver - gold, baby! gold!

H. height - 5'9"

I. instruments you play - the flute...I'm a little rusty though...

J. job title - sales associate 

K. kids - none yet! 

L. live - New York, New York

M. maiden name - Grady..it's still my last name!

N. nicknames - Tude, Em, Emilita 

O. overnight hospital stays - when I was born!

P. pet peeve - clutter, lateness, big hair scrunchies

Q. quote - "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose."

R. righty or lefty - righty! But my left-hand writing is pretty good!

S. siblings - my younger brother, Sean

T. time you wake up - usually 7:30 or 8...sometimes earlier

U. university attended - University of Central Florida 

V. vegetables you dislike - lima beans! dis-gust-ing!

W. what makes you run late - nothing! I always leave too much time for everything...I hate being late!

X. x-rays you've had - a few as a kid...it turns out the bones were never broken though! 

Y. yummy food - croissants, cheese, mint chocolate chip ice cream, steak, fajitas, cereal

Z. zoo animal favorite - penguins!

(images from style.com, list from The Wiegands.com)

Welcome to My Room!

This is my room in my "new" apartment (ok, so, I meant to share these with you a long time ago, but alas, it kept getting pushed to the back burner)...I love how clean and serene it is. Another nice thing is that it has two closets, and an amazing shelving unit (that runs the length of the wall) that we hid with some white drapes from Ikea. Actually, come to think of it, all the curtains in the room are from Ikea. So is the dresser. Our desk and chair are from Crate and Barrel, and the bedding is from West Elm. I made the painting above the bed, and the rug was a gift from my dad. All in all, I love my room! Thanks for stopping by!
xo, Emily 

Make-up Bag Make-over

So, here's my confession - my make-up bag tends to get really, really gross. I'm not really good at keeping up with it, which is surprising considering I'm usually so organized. But every once and awhile I get completely yucked out, and I clean everything and replace the bag. I saw my friend with this nice, sturdy, easy-to-clean clear make-up bag, and was surprised to find out that she got it at CVS. I was thinking more along the lines of Sephora or Ulta. Anywho, I bought the same one, and it was only 9 dollars and it came with a loofah and two travel sized bottles for liquids inside. Total steal!! All my make-up feels so new and nice now - finally I can put on my "face" and not come out of it with sticky foundation and eyeliner shaving residue all over my hands!! 

How often do you clean out your make-up bag? Does yours ever get as dirty as mine was?? I want to know!

xo, Emily 

The Simple Things

Yesterday was my day off. It was nice. It was relaxing. It was nothing spectacular. But I did have a Grande Iced Passion Tea from Starbucks. That was de-lic-ious. I also woke up to my boyfriend being funny about something (I can't quite remember...I was still half asleep), and I love starting my day out with a little laughter. I talked to my mom on the phone while I cleaned out my make-up bag (stay tuned for the shocking results on Monday hehe), and we caught up about family and exciting things that are about to happen (stay tuned for those too hehe). Then at night time, Colin and I went downtown for the best pizza in the entire world at Adrienne's. It was a beautiful evening, complete with a walk to the water with an incredible view of the Statue of Liberty (can you say major New York moment?). 

Yes, all in all, it was a very happy day off, and I am so thankful that my life is so full of laughter, joy, and love. Thanks to all of you who stopped by bellishment today to say hello, I wish you a wonderful day full of simple pleasures and happiness!

xo, Emily

Ah-maze

(all images via Pinterest)